A night after the Americans showed up to the World Baseball Classic virtually lifeless, they arrived at Chase Field on Saturday not knowing if they would be having to play for their WBC lives. As it turned out, the game before, filled with thrown punches and Canadian positives, gave Team USA some relief as Mexico was eliminated before the U.S. took the diamond.

World Baseball Classic: David Wright's grand slam brought Team USA's fans to their feet. (AP Photo)

That didn't stop it from punching the gas and rolling to a 6-2 victory over the already advanced upstart Italy club in Pool D of the WBC. This victory means Sunday’s showdown with the Canadians is a must-win for both teams, with the winner advancing to Round 2 in Miami and the loser sending its players back to their respective professional clubs, or home if they don’t have one.

"It's a good feeling just knowing that we have a chance to win and go to Miami," USA second baseman Brandon Phillips said. "The way we played tonight was beautiful, and hopefully we can take that into the game tomorrow and get a win. We really want this bad. We want to play for our country.

"If we play like we did today, we'll be going to Miami."

Team USA was under heavy criticism after Friday's loss to Mexico. The team lacked pitching, timely situational hitting and an overall buzz. Against Italy, those trends shifted in the opposite direction, although it didn't seem like they would in the first couple innings.

U.S. starter Ryan Vogelsong was touched for two runs and several hard-hit outs in the first two innings, and the offense couldn't find hits with runners on base through the first three.

But Vogelsong eventually settled in and the hitters started to barrel up to Italy's inferior pitching staff. After Joe Mauer doubled in Ryan Braun to get the States on the board in the fourth inning, the bats really came alive in the fifth, striking for five runs to put the game out of reach.

With a run already in, Mauer drew a walk to load the bases for David Wright. With two strikes on Wright, Italy's Matt Torra threw a flimsy changeup that caught way too much of the plate and Wright launched it over the left-field wall for the second grand slam in the history of the WBC. It gave Team USA a 6-2 cushion, and the relievers made sure Italy's hot bats from the day before — the Italians scored 14 runs against Canada on Friday — were doused.

"It was emotional," Wright said. "You hear the USA chants. You look in the stands and you see the flags. You look in the dugout and see USA across the front of guys' chests and hats. You get caught up in the game and you get a little emotional."

It wasn't all peachy for Team USA. They still stranded nine runners and were 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, but the pitching was better and the long ball was present for at least one critical moment. And it was a win. So these guys will take it.

As will the WBC. Had the pieces fallen into the right place Saturday, the U.S. could have been playing Sunday's game for nothing more than trying to avoid being shutout in pool play. It would have been a national embarrassment and bad for WBC marketing.

But with this team still kicking, the hope of MLB that the Americans can win this whole thing is still alive, and they are still the hunted even if they aren't the defending champions.

"When you put that USA jersey on, you have a bull's-eye on," Wright said. "Teams want to beat you, so it makes it a great atmosphere every time out. All of us take a great deal of pride putting this uniform on. We want to represent the country well."